


Nightmares

by Elsajeni



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Community: hobbit_kink, Fake Character Death, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-10
Updated: 2013-07-10
Packaged: 2017-12-18 07:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/877127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elsajeni/pseuds/Elsajeni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He lies frozen for a long moment, trying to steady his breathing and untangle dream from reality; it's only just dawn, but by the noises around him, the rest of the camp is waking, too. Eventually he feels steady enough to move and rolls over, reaches out to shake Kili's shoulder and tease him for being the last awake.</p>
<p><em>Kili is not there</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this prompt](http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/5821.html?thread=13757629#t13757629) on hobbit_kink:
>
>> During the quest, Thorin has really been impressing on Fili the hardships of being a leader. Fili ends up having a nightmare about choosing duty over Kili that results in Kili's death. He jerks awake and, when Kili isn't asleep beside him as he'd been before they went to sleep, he panics.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Kili says, grinning; he's dressed and ready to go, pack and bow and quiver slung over his shoulders, which is a rarity this early in the morning. "A few days out in the woods, just you and me."

Fili hesitates, glances at his own traveling pack, crumpled in the corner of their bedroom. "I'd like to," he says, "but—"

"It's been _ages_ since you've come hunting with me," Kili interrupts, a wheedling note in his voice. "And I checked; there's nothing important happening. You have a few days free."

"Then I ought to spend them at my lessons."

"Always lessons!" And that does it; the sunny mood of a moment ago is gone, and Kili glowers at him, kicks at the bedpost. "Always lessons, always _responsibilities_. You could just come along without asking permission, you know. It's not as if he could stop you."

"No, he couldn't," Fili says with a sigh. "And then as soon as I got back, he'd spend a week reminding me that just because I _can_ abandon my duty doesn't make it _right_ , and it'd be months before he'd trust me with anything important again. And he'd be right, too."

"You and your precious duty," Kili snaps; he tightens the strap of his quiver and turns. "Fine, then. I'll go alone, and have a good time, and you stay here with your duty and see how much fun you have."

It is four days later when his pony comes back, riderless, and Fili refuses to wait for a search party to gather. He rides out alone, traces the pony's tracks back into the woods as far as he can.

He finds the boar first, bled to death from a deep wound along its side; it's obvious it didn't die quickly, though, and he can easily follow the path of the wounded beast's last dash through the woods, back to a trampled clearing. From there he finds another trail of blood leading away — _moving on foot_ , he thinks as he follows it, _slowly, favoring the right leg_ , because analyzing the trail means he isn't thinking about what he'll find at the other end.

Not that he has far to go.

Kili, when he finds him, is cold and pale, the leaves below him crusted with the last of his life's blood; Fili drops to his knees, gathers his brother's body up in his arms. But as he bows his head, weeping, Kili suddenly stirs, fixes him with an unseeing gaze and says in a hissing voice that isn't his, " _You left me alone_ ," and Fili wakes with a jerk and a stifled cry of horror.

He lies frozen for a long moment, trying to steady his breathing and untangle dream from reality; it's only just dawn, but by the noises around him, the rest of the camp is waking, too. Eventually he feels steady enough to move and rolls over, reaches out to shake Kili's shoulder and tease him for being the last awake.

_Kili is not there_.

Fili is on his feet in an instant, grabbing at the nearest dwarf — Nori, as it turns out — and demanding, "Where is my brother?"

"Gone hunting," Nori says, clearly baffled. "He woke up early, said he wanted a bit of meat with his breakfast. Are you all right?"

"You let him go _alone_?" Fili's voice rises to a shout, and he's attracting the attention of the others, but he doesn't care. "Which way?" he snaps, and when Nori points, he's off like a hare, stumbling into the woods and calling out for Kili.

He runs for perhaps five minutes, growing more frantic with every step, before a hand catches his arm from behind; when he turns, it's Kili, staring at him with a mixture of concern and irritation, and he can't stop himself from surging forward and pulling his brother close.

"Fili," Kili says after a moment, struggling — Fili's embrace has pinned his arms at his sides — and then, a bit louder, " _Fili_. What in Mahal's name is the matter with you? How am I supposed to hunt with your racket?"

"Don't go off alone," Fili says; he means it to sound like a reprimand, but he can't keep his voice from shaking.

Kili rolls his eyes, manages to free one arm and uses it to slug Fili in the shoulder. "Worrywart," he says. "Watch it — if you don't knock it off, next time I'll wake you up and make you come along."

Fili hesitates, and then says, "Actually, I'd like that."

"Really?" Kili frowns, twists the rest of the way out of Fili's grip. "But you haven't come hunting with me in ages. You always say you're too busy."

"Yes, well." Fili shrugs, reaches out to drape one arm over his brother's shoulders. "I'm not too busy now, am I?"

"Fair enough," Kili says, and grins suddenly. "It'll be nice — like the old days. Tomorrow morning, then?"

"Tomorrow morning," Fili agrees, as they turn back toward the camp.


End file.
